Rauni Mollberg (April 15, 1929 – October 11, 2007) was a

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

who directed movies and TV movies. In 1963 Mollberg directed movies for

YLE Yleisradio Oy (Finnish, literally "General Radio Ltd." or "General Broadcast Ltd."; abbr. Yle ; sv, Rundradion Ab, italics=no), translated to English as the Finnish Broadcasting Company, is Finland's national public broadcasting company, founde ...

. He directed a version of '' The Unknown Soldier'' in 1985, 30 years after

Edvin Laine Edvin Laine (13 July 1905 – 18 November 1989) was a Finnish film director. Laine was born Bovellán. Laine directed a comedy '' Aaltoska orkaniseeraa'' and family film ''Sleeping Beauty'', both in 1949. '' The Unknown Soldier'', a film La ...

directed the original version of it. Mollberg's movie's plot was same as Laine's movie. But Mollberg used unknown actors and the movie was colourised and shot by a handhold camera. Mollberg did not begin directing films for the cinema until he was well into his forties. He made a notable splash on the international festival circuit in 1974 with ''

The Earth Is A Sinful Song ''The Earth Is a Sinful Song'' ( fi, Maa on syntinen laulu) is a 1973 Finnish drama film directed by Rauni Mollberg and based on the novel ''Maa on syntinen laulu'' by late Finnish author Timo K. Mukka. It was entered into the 24th Berlin Intern ...

'' (1973), his debut feature, an earthy, erotically-charged, blood-soaked tale of a young village girl's ill-fated affair with a Lapp reindeer herdsman. Based on a novel by the late

Timo K. Mukka Timo Kustaa Mukka (17 December 1944 – 27 March 1973) was a Finnish author who wrote about the lives of people in Lapland (Finland), Lapland. Early life Timo Mukka was born in Bollnäs in Sweden where his family had been evacuated to during the ...

, one of Finland's most controversial young writers, the film "stunned Scandinavian critics and audiences alike with its simple, terrible power and its authentic sensuality" (Peter Cowie), and went on to become one of the biggest box-office successes in the Finnish cinema's history. It also introduced Mollberg's trademark style: "a realistic naturalism full of expressive force with which he merges the people with the scenery, stripping them bare of life's illusions and the polished veneer of culture" (Sakari Toiviainen). Despite Peter Cowie's efforts, and the acclaim of many other critics and "independent" festivals, The Finnish National Film board has stubbornly sequestered this masterpiece, only releasing it in a DVD format incompatible with international viewing, and lacking English subtitles. During his career he was used to get wide audiences in Finland. His film ''The Earth is a Sinful Song'' (1973) sold 709,664 tickets and it is 11th on the list of most admissions to a Finnish film. 590,271 tickets were sold for the screenings of '' The Unknown Soldier'' (1985) making it the 17th highest-grossing movie in the history of Finland.

Awards and nominations

Berlin International Film Festival: Nominated for

Golden Bear The Golden Bear (german: Goldener Bär) is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival. The bear is the heraldic animal of Berlin, featured on both the coat of arms and flag of Berlin. History The winn ...

(

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...

and

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

for films ''The Earth is a Sinful Song'' and ''Milka''). Locarno International Film Festival: Won Special prize for ''The Earth is a Sinful Song'' (1974). Napoli Film Festival: Won Best Director award for ''Pretty Good for a Human'' (1978). Jussi Awards: Best Director award for ''Sotaerakko'' (1973), ''The Earth is a Sinful Song'' (1974), ''Pretty Good for a Human'' (1978), ''The Unknown Soldier'' (1986), Best Producer award for ''Milka'' (1981).

Filmography

* ''"Lapsuuteni"'', 1967 * ''Tehtaan varjossa'', 1969 * ''Sotaerakko'', 1972 * '' Maa on syntinen laulu'', 1973 * ''

Aika hyvä ihmiseksi ''People Not as Bad as They Seem'' ( fi, Aika hyvä ihmiseksi) is a 1977 Finnish historical film directed by Rauni Mollberg, based on the novels by Aapeli. The film premiered on 7 October 1977 in Finland and Sweden on 17 March 1978. It was screene ...

'', 1977 * '' Milka – elokuva tabuista'', 1980 * '' Tuntematon sotilas'', 1985 * '' Ystävät, toverit'', 1990 * ''Paratiisin lapset'', 1994 * ''Taustan Mikon kotiinpaluu'', 1999 * ''Ison miehen vierailu'', 1999 * ''Puu kulkee'', 2000 * ''Heikuraisen Nauru'', 2001 * ''Korpisen veljekset'', 2002 * '' Reissu'', 2004

References

External links

*
List of highest grossing Finnish movies
in Finnish) {{DEFAULTSORT:Mollberg, Rauni 1929 births 2007 deaths People from Hämeenlinna Finnish film directors Deaths from leukemia Deaths from cancer in Finland